True, Uruguay was the first to have a comprehensive legislation about the topic. However, in Costa Rica for example, it's legal to have some cannabis cigarrettes with you, if it is for you personal consumption, of course. That's been like that since the 70s or 80s, I can't remember well, but it is illegal for instance, to sell and even plant it. So you can smoke weed in Costa Rica, but you can't have a miserable plant in your garden. Uruguay in that sense was very ahead of time!

The importance of Canada for me is because unlike Uruguay, Canada is a first world country with a robust legislation about it. And on the other hand, while in the US there are some states that allow its use and commercialization, it is still a federal crime and it could be prosecuted as a federal case, as far as I know.

You guys could really take a great advantage in new pharmaceutical drugs and medical research based on cannabis, something much needed in my opinion right now. And that's something that no other country can do right now. Although Uruguay is a world power in Democracy, it doesn't have the pharmaceutical industry muscle necessary to make it happen, at least in the short run.